HEPATOCYTE SPECIFIC MR CONTRAST AGENTS

肝脏疾病是一个重大的世界性健康问题，但目前 诊断试验在评估功能性肝细胞方面存在缺陷。 一个人的群体。在我们的第一阶段研究中，我们开发了磁共振对比 显示肝细胞特异性(肝脏特异性)生物分布的试剂， 通过去唾液酸糖蛋白受体的识别。肝细胞 特定的MR造影剂是功能化的(或涂层的) 超顺磁性氧化铁胶体。使用人体肝脏的动物模型 病理学，第二阶段的研究将追求两个主要目标。首先，它将 确定如磁共振成像所确定的药剂清除量， 提供功能性肝细胞质量的衡量标准。第二，它将 确定药物在肝脏内的分布提供了 关于肝脏功能解剖的信息。表面功能化 超顺磁性氧化铁胶体可能被证明是MR的一大类 造影剂，靶向体内的各种受体(和组织)。

Diseases of the liver are a major world wide health problem, yet current diagnostic tests have shortcoming in assessing the functional hepatocyte mass of an individual. In our Phase I research, we developed an MR contrast agent which exhibited hepatocyte specific (liver specific) biodistribution, by virtue of its recognition by asialoglycoprotein receptor. The hepatocyte specific MR contrast agent is a functionalized (or coated) superparamagnetic iron oxide colloid. Using an animal model of human liver pathology, phase II research will pursue two major goals. First, it will establish that the clearance of the agent, as determined MR imaging, provides a measure of functional hepatocyte mass. And second, it will establish that the intrahepatic distribution of the agent provides information on the functional anatomy of the liver. Surface functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide colloids may prove to be a broad class of MR contrast agents, targeted to a variety of receptors (and tissues) in vivo.